Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Welcome to another newsletter from the Maria Montessori Education Foundation, and once again we have exciting milestones to report as we head towards February 2009, and the first ever full-time AMI Montessori diploma course in New Zealand. The first, and most exciting, milestone to report is a historic event in its own right ...

AMI Assistant Certificate CourseDuring the July school holidays, history was written as thirty-seven students attended the first-ever AMI Assistant Certificate Courses in New Zealand. Twenty-five attendees in Auckland and twelve in Dunedin emerged at the end of a very full week with a new appreciation of the Montessori philosophy and a palpable sense of achievement and camaraderie (which you can sense in the picture at left of our Auckland students, and below of our Dunedin students).

Rebecca Mueller was student on the Dunedin course, and we're very pleased to offer you her overview below.

Reflections from the Assistant Certificate Course, Dunedin, by Rebecca Mueller.I came to the AMI Assistant Certificate Course in Dunedin last month as a newcomer not only to Montessori training but to early childhood education altogether.

Having worked for a number of years as a clinical psychologist, I had already a sense of the impact of the first years of life on an individual’s later development, and I was interested in exploring a field that might make the services of a psychologist unnecessary in later years!

In every way I found the assistant course enlightening, enriching, and inspiring. What a wealth of information my classmates and I learned from Cheryl Ferreira’s expert and energetic teaching.

Her presentations were thorough and lively—full of fascinating examples from her own work. Through them I gained an understanding of the basic principles of the Montessori approach, including the recognition of the absorbent nature of the child’s mind during sensitive periods of development; the faith in the child’s inner guide; the importance of the child’s growth toward increased independence and the need of childhood not to be helped unnecessarily; the essentialness of concentration in providing the basis of the child’s character and social behavior; the critical importance of order, as well as repetition, in the child’s development; and the appreciation of the natural inner discipline of the child that shows itself readily within a prepared environment.

At the end of the course I was left with an overall impression of the Montessori approach as one with the utmost respect for the child, capable of changing the adult as well, and over the long run, a force for peace in the world.

Ladies and gentleman - feedback required please for the 2009 3-6 Course:With the Assistant Certificate Course behind us, it's now full speed ahead for the full-time AMI diploma course in February next year -- and now's the time to be making your own decisions about that course.

To help with MMEF's future planning we would very much appreciate your feedback on the following questions:FOR STUDENTS:

Are you considering taking the 3-6 training course?

If yes - when will you be applying?

If no - what are the factors affecting your application?

Would sponsorship opportunities affect your decision?

FOR SCHOOLS:

Are you considering sponsoring a student?

If you are genuinely considering taking the course, or there is a possibility of you doing the training -- or you're thinking about sponsoring a student to do the course -- may we call you in the evening to discuss this further?

Email your responses to mmef@ihug.co.nz (or by clicking 'return to sender') and do leave an evening phone number if you'd like someone to contact you. Remember, the MMEF trustees are committed to introducing AMI Montessori training in New Zealand next year, and we will leave no stone unturned to make it happen. If there's any thing we can do to help make your own decision easier, please do let us know.

Let me close by thanking all of you for your support as we count down to 2009!

To subscribe to ‘MMEF News’ – a complimentary MMEF newsletter- please email us at mmef@ihug.co.nz.

Maria Montessori Education Foundation

The Maria Montessori Education Foundation (MMEF) is a charitable trust in New Zealand established to set up and promote AMI Montessori training in New Zealand. Integral to this also will be to support the participation in the AMI Training of Trainers programme by AMI Diploma holders in New Zealand.